The fictional heroes of my youth were “superheroes,” each with an accompanying superpower, like flying, traveling at the speed of light, shrinking down to an infinitesimal size, etc. A few of them seemed to be able to do just about anything (Superman really did have it all), but most had one (super) power they could wield that helped make the group collectively unstoppable.
If you want to stand out, it’s worth considering what your own superpower might be.
If you can fly or turn invisible, your college essay pretty much writes itself. But for the ordinary mortals like the rest of us, your superpower might be that you can remain calm when everyone else is overreacting to a stressful situation. Maybe you know how to stand up in front of a room and get people to listen to you. Maybe you know how to unstick a project and bring it to completion when nobody else can seem to make progress.
We’ve all got them. Once you find your superpower, make sure you put it to use.